Sly Cooper: Thieves of Prey
by inspector fox
Summary: A Sly Cooper fanfiction which takes place between the events of the comic 'The Adventures of Sly Cooper' and 'Sly Cooper 2: Band of Thieves'
1. The Rolling Ball

One: The Rolling Ball

The moon shone so brightly, it almost blinded him like the sun. But even without the moon, Paris just emitted radiant lights in the summers. There was a certain 'crème de la crème' quality to it all: the open balconies, the curly arches, the medieval gargoyles. And to top it all off, the prestigious Louvre ball to celebrate the arrival of some new art from Egypt. Yes, mass grandeur surrounded the city of love; but so did the urge for thievery.

His classic, blue boots got so worn out from over the years, and so didn't attract any rubble when he ran on the rooftops. The cane created sparks when it drifted against an electrical wire leading to the museum. When within jumping distance, he leaped from the wire onto the windowsill and rolled inside through the open window. When will people ever learn to make these things a bit more challenging for him? Now upstairs, he passed the lasers without breaking a sweat and finally reached the balcony, which had a view of the ball.

'Sly! Sly! Are you there, Sly!' Bentley's familiar, but irritating at times, voice chimed in through the Binocucom.

'Sly Cooper is in the building'

'Yeah, yeah, cut the flirty chitchat for Carmelita, who, according to the computer, is making her way towards your position. She's probably on duty tonight'

'It's been a while since we crossed paths…' Sly scratched his chin, reminiscing about his last meeting with the Inspector.

'Snap out of it Sly, we've got work to do! I need you to take some pictures for me'

'Go ahead, I'm listening'

'I've got the guest list here: Madame Beverly D'Oinkeau, one of the event's organizers'

'Where have I heard of her before?'

'She was Dimitri Lousteau's ex-fiancée, we stole from her last year? The 2004 Monaco Heist?'

'I remember. Let me just adjust the zoom so that she actually fits in the picture'

'Don't be so vulgar. Now take a picture of Inspector James Barkley'

'I'm assuming he's waiting for Carmelita. But for him to be here…' Sly speculated in silence.

'They must be undercover'

'Exactly'

'Don't even think about getting yourself into trouble. We're here to steal the Austrian Hunchback Emerald, nothing else. Stay out of it'

'Whatever you say'

'Why do I know this is going to end badly?' Bentley swallowed down what felt like big knot in his throat.

'Stop worrying Bentley, everything will be just fine'

'Fine… Lastly, I need you to snap a shot of Señor Garras, the actual owner of the emerald'

Señor Garras, a Brazilian panther, emerged from behind a marble pillar, sporting a brooding, mysterious look whilst wearing a tight tuxedo. His whiskers remained still as he made his way towards the centre of the room.

'Tall, dark and handsome: Is that him?' Sly focused on the panther with the Binocucom's lenses.

'That's him alright'

'What's the background on this guy?'

'Garras was born in a shanty town, shut down away from society. By the age of 16 he became the community's best wrestler. But he saw past the traditional fighting and close-minded ideologies of his people, and travelled towards the city, where he studied Law and eventually opened up his own million-dollar law office: Garras International'

'Borderline stuff, Bentley; get to the interesting part'

'He's rumoured to be associated with the mafia, corruptly defending drug-dealers and such. He'd gone off the radar for a few months back in 2002, and when he returned, his claws were replaced with iron ones'

'Now that's good storytelling'

'Cut it out Sly, this is serious: don't pick a fight with that guy, he'll rip you to shreds'

'You're exaggerating'

'I'm not! Now get to the next floor and find the security room so we can get the van into the underground parking space'

'On it'

But before Sly creeped off the balcony, Murray's voice was heard on the line.

'Bentley, Sly, are you there?' the dripping sweat from Murray's forehead was audible.

'What is it Murray?'

'I think Carmelita just spotted me in the van, and is now rushing right towards me'

'Crap'


	2. Misfortune and String

Two: Misfortune and String

Carmelita grabbed her shock pistol from under her rose dress and ran towards the van. The parking lot seemed to go silent for a minute. Murray hid under the stirring wheel, or at least that's what he thought since he couldn't even fit his head there. Carmelita knocked on the window.

'Get out hippo, before I blast this door open'

'There's no one in here' the whole van shook.

'I'll count to 3: One… Two…Three-'

The door banged open.

'Get out. Now!'

'Ok, ok, just stop yelling'

'Why are you here? Where is the rest of your gang?'

'I-I don't know' he answered with his eyes shut, as the shock pistol was being pointed directly at his head.

'Keep it up Murray. She won't hurt you, she's not evil' Carmelita heard Sly's whisperings. She reached out into the van and took Murray's Binocucom.

'Listen here ringtail; I will give you just one warning: evacuate the building and come to me. You're the least of my problems right now'

'The _least_ of your problems? After all we've been through together? I thought I'd be top priority…'

'Don't give me that shit raccoon: I'm waiting' she demanded.

'As much as I'd love to see you Inspector, I have some work to do. Maybe I'll see you later'

'Don't you dare-' but before she was even able to scream at the top of her lungs, Sly hang up.

'Damn your friend…' she let out a sigh of frustration and looked down in an attempt to think of something.

'Ok hippo, I'll lock you up in the car until the ball ends and I find Cooper and the turtle. Capiche?' she dragged Murray to her patrol car and slammed the door shut.

'But I'm kinda hungry…'

'Does it seem as if I care?'

Murray looked at her while holding his belly which let out innocent sounds of hunger.

'There's an open bag of prawn crackers somewhere in the front. I'll be back' she locked the vehicle and entered the Louvre.

'Murray? Sly? Are you guys there?'

Bentley peeped behind a ventilation shaft, waiting for the lasers to switch off. Despite the fact it was so hot, he trembled out of fear, his knees touching each other. The view from the roof was pretty magnificent, though. He watched as the night's sky shed its darkness when in contact with the moon. And then he spotted Murray locked up in the patrol car.

'Murray? Murray!' he waved from the corner, but Murray was too preoccupied with that bag of prawn crackers. The unattended van looked vulnerable, and without it, they had no getaway.

Sly slammed the vent open, banging it on an unsuspecting guard's head. He expected the security room to be jam-packed with goons, but there was just one. Shrugging it off, he proceeded onto switching off the lasers from the security panels.

'Bentley, your path is clear'

'We've encountered a problem'

'What is it now?'

'Murray's trapped in Carmelita's car'

'We'll bust him out on our way home'

'W-What if they catch us?'

'Don't give up on me now Bentley. Make your way through the ventilation and meet me here'

Bentley remained intact in his shell and dropped through the shaft, which lead to the security room.

'Nice to see you bud'

'W-We've got no time to waste. I'll switch off the security for the room where they've got the emerald, and we're out of here!'

Bentley attached himself to the chair and started typing like crazy. In a flash, the screen which displayed the target went black.

'You're all set: meet me up here when you're done'

Sly winked and left running.

'I've got the Cooper Gang's hippo locked up in my car'

'You've _what?'_ Inspector Barkley almost dropped his cigar.

'Caught him in the parking lot. Cooper is somewhere around here'

'Carmelita, we've got more serious business to attend to. We mustn't blow our cover, whatever the costs' they whispered into one another's ears.

'Don't underestimate me. I can catch that raccoon, and still look like a normal guest'

'Mark my words: don't ruin this'

Inspector Barkley left her sparkling in her long, rose dress.

'Wait! At least help me out here. No one will suspect you're up to something. I'll cover you while you go check the security room and inform me on Cooper's whereabouts'

'Deal; just be ready'

'I'll be waiting for your confirmation'

Inspector Barkley slowly crept towards the security room, and no one noticed a thing. Except for Bentley, of course.


End file.
